1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a friction lining, comprising a binding agent matrix and friction particles, which binding agent matrix forms a coating with a pre-definable coating thickness, a friction component with a metal component body which has a functional surface for producing a frictional grip with another friction component, which functional surface is at least partially provided with a friction lining, and a friction unit comprising at least a first and a second friction component which can be moved into a friction grip with it, and both the first and the second friction component each have at least one functional surface for producing the frictional grip, and at least one of the functional surfaces is at least partially provided with a friction lining.
2. Prior Art
Developments in the automotive industry towards high performance engines has made it necessary to adapt other components of a motor vehicle, such as the clutch system or brake system for example, to the higher performance of these engines. There is also an evident tendency to produce vehicles of an increasingly lighter weight in order to reduce fuel consumption. It is therefore necessary to produce components for motor vehicles that are of a simpler design and made from materials that are more lightweight.
A high performance friction material is known from patent specification DE 698 31 821 T2, for example. It comprises a two-layered material with a fiber base with a secondary or top layer joined to a primary or bottom layer. The primary layer contains non-linear fibers, cotton fibers and filler material and the secondary layer contains amide fibers, optionally synthetic graphite, optionally filler materials and optionally processing agents. The secondary layer also contains cotton fibers and porous carbon particles.
Patent specification DE 602 10 953 T2 discloses a friction material with a first layer containing a fibrous base material and a second layer containing at least one type of a friction-modifying particle on a top face of the fibrous base material. The second layer has an average thickness of approximately 30 to 200 μm. The top layer has a permeability which is lower than that of the first layer. The friction-modifying particles contain silicon oxide particles with an average diameter of approximately 0.1 to approximately 80 μm and an irregular shape.
Friction linings with a single layer are also known. For example, patent specification AT 387 395 describes a method of coating a support base with a friction lining bonded by synthetic resin, which is joined to the support base by an adhesion-imparting layer and produced by compacting and heat curing a friction powder mixture containing a synthetic resin which can be cured by applying heat. The friction powder mixture is firstly applied to the support base in a coating thickness that will result in the desired density of the final thickness of the friction lining and the applied friction powder coating is then heated to a temperature above the melting range of the curable synthetic resin and pressed to the final thickness of the friction lining before a degree of curing is reached that would detrimentally affect the subsequent improvement. To impart adhesion, the surfaces of the support bases to be lined may be coated with a viscous, adhesive resin, e.g., phenolic resin. A raw powder which is preferably the main component of the friction powder mixture with a narrowly limited screen fraction of 0.15 to 0.20 mm may be scattered directly onto this coating. The scattered quantity is set so that approximately 30% to 40% of the scattered surfaces are covered with raw powder. The actual coating of raw powder can be applied before the layer of adhesive resin is fully cured.